Kiss Me, Propose, Fix My Feet
by itsxloveeee
Summary: “Everyday, people in the world get married. Why not us?” T&G.


**A Story By LaxLaxLand**

**"Everyday, people in the world get married. Why not us?" T&G.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from HSM or Elle, just my plot.**

--

Gabriella Montez, 27, entered her apartment after a long day of work. She currently is the editor of Elle magazine in New York City, her dream job and city. There is one problem with her life...Troy Bolton, her boyfriend of 11 years, proposed.

Most would wonder why this is a problem, but to Gabriella, it means she has to settle down. That means there would be less girl nights, she would have to move out of her beautiful penthouse, and it would be impossible to look at other guys with the thought of sleeping them that night.

On the plus side, she loves Troy more then anything, and even if she finds another male attractive, she would never cheat on him. Her dilemma...single or married.

_Flashback_

_Troy and Gabriella were sitting in Gabriella's favorite Italian restaurant when soft music started playing. Thinking that this was the perfect time to ask her, he held out his arm and asked, "Care to dance?"_

_Gabriella nodded, and took his hand, "I would be delighted."_

_The two walked onto the dance floor and started moving softly with the music. 'This is when you should do it! Now! While she is smiling! In addition, no one is looking. Do it Troy!'_

_He had decided, he was going to propose. _

_Gabriella watched Troy get down on one knee and she felt the tears form. Her eyes followed his hand that pulled out a small, jewelry box. As the box opened, Gabriella thought, 'Should I run? No...that will hurt Troy more.'_

_She listened to him, not wanting to stop him or let him continue._

_His smile grew and that only made her more upset. The words then spilled out of his mouth, "I love you Gabriella. We have been together for 11 years, and I think it is finally time to settle down. Will you marry me?"_

_She watched all the eyes stare at her, and then met the one pair she didn't want to meet...Troy's. After shaking her head, she ran out of that restaurant with tears in her eyes._

_--_

_Later that night, Troy found Gabriella and gave her 6 months to make her decision. He made an ultimatum, marriage or a break-up. _

_End of Flashback_

Tonight was the night Troy was coming to hear her final decision...the one Gabriella still hasn't made. The one that could change her life forever.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

It was him. She had to meet the eyes that made her get butterflies, the lips she yearned to kiss, the body she wanted to touch...but that could disappear in a minute. 'What if the wrong words are said? What happens if I lose him?'

She opened the door...to see nothing more than a tape recorder. Gabriella picked it up slowly and took it into her apartment. After walking into the living room, she sat on the couch and played the recording.

Troy's husky voice came on, "Now that you are listening to this, alone, hopefully, you will finally hear my thoughts. The ones you refused to hear the night you declined my proposal." There was a pause, "Well, after 6 months, I knew I couldn't face you on this day. I can't face the woman I love, because I don't think this girl loves me back. Everyday, people in the world get married. Why not us? I love you Gabriella, more than you know. But I don't wanna hear why we can't get married. If and only if you want to marry me, meet me at Central Park...the place we love, at 8. If you don't...don't come. Save me the tears...or at least let me cry them when I am alone."

Another long pause...

A girl's voice came out of the tape, known to be Taylor's, "Troy...that was touching."

Troy laughed and said, "Do you think she will come?"

Taylor replied, "I don't know, but oh my god, we left the recorder on."

"Well, she probably will turn it off before the long pause is over."

And there was a beep telling her that the message was over. Gabriella glanced at the clock and it read 7:55. 'Crap. What do I do?!'

She then thought back on the words Troy told her, 'Everyday, people in the world get married. Why not us?'

--

Gabriella paid the driver and got out of the limo. She ran up to the statue that she knew to meet Troy at. And he was there. She watched him turn around and smile, but she shook her head.

"You said to me, and I quote, 'everyday, people in the world get married. Why not us?' Well I will tell you why. We do not need a certificate to prove our love. What I love about this relationship is that we live separately, so if we get annoyed with the other, we each have a safe haven. I can have girls nights, and I can still look at guys thinking inappropriate thoughts. But at the end of the day, I know I have a loving boyfriend. What more do we need?"

Troy looked down, deeply disappointed. Her speech only hurt him more, but he gathered up enough courage to say a few more words, "Maybe marriage is a certificate for you, but for me, it is a promise. A promise saying you will be mine forever. I don't want to live in two separate places anymore. I want to be with you! I want to settle down. And finally, I don't want you thinking about other men that way, married or not. But since those are the things you do want, we are over. Don't come find me, don't ask for me back, because if you can't make one promise to me, who knows how many you will break in the future. I am 28, Gabriella, not 18."

He turned on his heel, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked out of her life.

"WAIT!"

Troy turned around to look at Gabriella. They stood there, their eyes locked on the others, but when nothing more was said, he walked even farther away. She knew there was nothing left to say, but there was something she could do.

Quickly, Gabriella threw off her heels and ran...as fast as she could. Her feet were bloody by the time she reached her destination. She ran up the steps of Troy's apartment building, receiving stares, but not caring. Her feet were staining the carpet, but she decided to pay them back later. After positioning herself in front of Troy's door, she knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Once opened, Troy's face looked down in surprise. "What the..."

Gabriella looked up from her kneeling position and said, "Marry me."

"But..."

"Just listen. When you walked away from me, I realized how stupid I was for not wanting to get married. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I have always envisioned my future with you and a bunch of kids running around our ankles. I pictured you and I in a cute little house outside of the city. I can't let you go, Troy, I can't. I can't watch you with any other girl, and I trust me, I never thought that way about a guy...it is what Sharpay told me. She told me that marrying you would stop me from checking out other guys, but I don't even do that! It was stupid to believe her and let her excuses for not marrying you in my mind. You have to believe me because I am rambling and I really want you to kiss me and promise that I will be yours forever."

Troy stood there, in shock and in awe. He looked at his girlfriend's feet and chuckled lightly, "Where are your shoes?"

She smiled and stood up, knowing it wasn't over between them, "They are still at Central Park. Heels make me run slower."

"I have three things I need to do, you pick the order."

Gabriella giggled and asked, "What three things?"

"Kiss you, fix your feet, and propose once more."

"Hmmm...kiss me, propose, fix my..."

And Troy cut her off by capturing her lips in a slow, yet heated kiss with passion intertwined in it. As their lips, unwillingly parted, a smile played on each of their faces. Troy took the ring off the table nearby, got down on one knee and asked, "Will you marry me?"

Gabriella nodded and smiled as Troy slid the ring on her finger. He stood up and their lips were about to meet in another kiss, but he pulled back, "This is not on the agenda young lady."

"If I say it is...it is," She grinned and pulled him in for a heated kiss. Troy shook his head after a few seconds and pulled back.

"Nuh-uh missy...now come on." He pulled her into the living room and sat her on the couch. Quickly, he grabbed the first aid kit and started to clean and bandage her feet.

"You know, Gabs, not all relationships are like the fairy tales you read in books, but I think ours is pretty close. I love you."

She smiled, not a huge grin, but a soft, caring one. He was right...most people were not lucky enough to meet their soul mates right away, but they did. They have a strong bond that no one could break...not even the incorrect thoughts their best friend planted in her mind.

"I love you too...and do you think we could get that house outside the city?"

"Of course, baby, of course."

**I hope you liked it! My cousin went through kind of the same thing, but her and her boyfriend didn't end up together, and they were 24 when they met. I added a Troyella twist to the story.**


End file.
